The Important Things
by AdulterousWhore
Summary: One-shot. Atrid has a niggling problem at the back of her mind.


**Probably not my best as I'm writing on a very tired head, but the plot bunny wouldn't go away!**

It wasn't important. Not really. She knew it wasn't important in the grand scheme of things, especially considering the crazy few months they'd all had; Astrid Farnsworth was surprised she felt so strongly on the matter. Because it didn't ... not really.

Except, of course it mattered. She sighed heavily through the trance she had been sucked into whilst brushing Gene.

"Atrix?" Walter's curious tone met her ears. "I didn't realise you were still here, dear."

She smiled, "Lincoln and Olivia haven't finished briefing Broyles yet, so I thought I'd just wait here. Are you okay, Walter?"

"Oh, yes. I was merely looking for something."

"Anything I can help with?" Astrid asked.

"Oh no dear, I don't think so. I can't remember what it is I'm looking for," he replied, frowning as he glanced over the lab. "Funny ... it seems important."

"You know in my experience the best way to find things that are lost is to stop looking for them."

Her smile was returned after a brief pause. "You might be right. I think I'll go home now."

"Do you need a ride?"

"Oh no, no I think I'll try and catch the last bus."

_It really doesn't matter..._ she told herself later for the umpteenth time. Astrid looked around, taking in her workplace. If somebody had told her when she was in high school, that in ten years time she'd be working daily with a modern day Einstein fighting the destruction of the universe and its counterpart with a team of doppelgangers, she would have rethought her career in the FBI. In truth, she wasn't entirely sure this problem wouldn't have arisen without the creation of the bridge. If it hadn't been the bridge then it most definitely would have been something else.

Still, she never spoke out of turn. She always did as she was told and constantly went above and beyond for this stupid division on a daily basis. You'd think they'd do this one tiny thing for her? Walter, of course, had been the first to help, but then he had gotten high on sugar ... at least, she thought sugar, and his opinion changed with every analysis of the different types of frosting.

Yes, she knew the choice of what type of cake to have, wasn't important. Not in the grand scheme of things ... and yet, it was niggling away at her so much she found herself near tears as she stacked away the remainder of Walters test tubes.

"Hey, you're still here," Olivia's voice snapped her from the self-pitying feeling in her gut, though apparently not quick enough. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah ... yeah I'm fine. It's nothing."

"No, what is it? You can tell me," Olivia's voice was soothing.

"It's stupid ..." Astrid blushed.

"No it isn't, not if it's upsetting you."

"It's just ... It's just that I asked everyone last week if they'd try the samples of the wedding cake and no one's done it yet ... apart from Walter. And, I know that it really shouldn't bother me and I get that everyone has much more important things to worry about but it's just the way that I feel," she found herself breathing heavily after the rush of words came tumbling out of her mouth.

"Oh god, Astrid, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot," Olivia said, rubbing her face in her hands tiredly. "Get the samples, I'll taste them now," she smiled.

"It's fine, 'Liv, you're tired,"

"Then I could use a sugar high," she laughed as Astrid moved to bring out the box of tiny cake samples. "Lincoln should be here soon ... he got a call from Walter as we were leaving the federal building asking what number bus he had to get. He went to pick him up."

Half an hour went by as the two women sat eating cakes in the middle of a laboratory. "I definitely think the chocolate sponge with vanilla frosting is your winner ..."

"Yeah ... I think so to," she smiled.

"I can't believe you get married in like ... three weeks. Mind you, sometimes I can't believe you've been together over two years."

"Sometimes I can't believe we have been a team for that long. I guess the crazy never ends, huh? ... Don't you just love that I spend my days doing god knows what with Walter and the idea of having a normal day is freaking me out ..."

Olivia smiled at her friend, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hey, you okay?" Astrid asked, concerned.

"Yeah ... yeah, it's just ... I dunno. I keep having this really over whelming feeling that I'm forgetting something ..." she said, scratching the bridge of her nose.

"Funny, Walter said the same thing earlier."

The doors of the lab swung open. "You're missing cake. How was Walter?" Olivia asked as Lincoln bounded toward them.

"Ah, he was okay. I dropped him off when he realised there are no buses after eleven. What're we having?"

"Here, try this one, it's chocolate with vanilla frosting," Astrid said, spooning a piece into his mouth. He merely nodded in reaction as the two women chuckled.

"Okay well I'm gonna head off. You two okay to lock up?" Olivia asked.

"Sure. Oh and 'Liv? Thanks for helping ..."

"No problem," the agent smiled at her junior before leaving.

"Yep, I think this is the one," Lincoln said, taking the last piece of the cake. Astrid moved to throw the now empty box away. "Hey," he caught he arm, "I'm sorry I haven't been here, you know, to help with all the wedding stuff."

"It's okay," she smiled as he took her in his arms.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

"I do now," she giggled.

"I love you."

"Love you too," she said against his lips.

Funny. Now it had been solved, it really didn't matter at all.

**Just a bit of fluff. Astrid deserves some lovin' in her life! I figure if Peter never exsisted then Lincoln would be the obvious stand in and I like the idea of them two being together rather than him possibly being with our Liv like in the alt. World!  
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